So, I’m not one for fussy bath and body products. You won’t find three hundred different body washes and weird scrubs chillin’ around the side of my shower. I pretty much just stick to a cleanser, toner, and moisturiser for my face, (the same one I’ve been using for.ever.) and a dry body brush and some lotion for my bod (yeah no soap, don’t judge, it makes my skin super dry).
So, you might be surprised by this but I’m not super into the whole natural beauty scene either (you’ll have to pry the fancy foundation bottle from my cold, dead, hands). I mean, I’ve dabbled: I did the whole, washing my hair with Dr. Bronner’s magic hippy soap for a while in grad school, it fried my hair, so I slathered on the coconut oil, which just made it greasy AF. I’ve done the whole apple cider vinegar as cleanser too and it just burns yours eyes and the inside of your nose with the fumes it gives off. DO NOT RECCOMMEND. My point is that natural beauty products are great, in theory, I just can’t seem to make them work for me.
But over the past few months, a couple of things have changed. First of all, I’ve been having some trouble with my skin, and my usual routine isn’t cutting it. I’ve been getting tons of breakouts lately, even when I know my diet is good, so my theory is that living in the city is fucking with my skin. HARD. (If you’ve ever lived in a polluted city and have a way to deal with this then PLEASE let me know). I’m hoping that by experimenting with natural beauty, I can find something that doesn’t drive my skin totally crazy and helps stop the breakouts (ughhh, not cute).
Ok so, the second thing is that I’ve been hearing and seeing lots more about natural beauty lately too (check out this Podcast for a start). And it seems like going au naturale has come a long way from my Dr. Bronner days. Like, maybe people have figured some shit out and it’s time to give natural skincare another go? I’m not saying I’m going to give up my Touche Éclat just yet, but I’m going to dip my toes in, and see what happens.
Then when I saw some recipes for a coconut and coffee scrub floating around the place, I thought, “Yeah, I can get behind that”, seemed like a good place to start, and it was too good (and too easy) to keep to myself!
Like I said, I’m into using a body brush before I get into the shower, gets the lymph moving around and all that. I thought it did a pretty good job of exfoliating too. NOPE. Coffee is better. It’s hella exfoliating and makes my skin feel super soft and silky. The coconut oil makes it feel lovely and hydrated and nourished.
There’s a lot of stuff out there about the caffeine (and some other compounds) in coffee having a ‘cellulite busting’ effect when you use it to scrub the skin. I called BS on that for the longest time. But I did a quick PubMed search and HOT DOG was I wrong. Apparently caffeine used topically can prevent the accumulation of fat in cells, who knew? It also stimulates blood flow, helps protect cells against the UV radiation, and slows down the aging process. Neat!
Obviously caffeine won’t replace healthy habits like, drinking plenty of fresh water, eating loads of fresh fruit and veg, and sweating your tail off. But it’s good to know your beauty products are on your side and are working for you instead of dumping tons of weird, potentially toxic chemicals into your bloodstream.
Best part about this scrub is that it’s made from things you probably already have in your cupboard anyway! I used Taylor’s of Harrogate Brasilia Coffee (smells amazing) and Sister and Co. coconut oil.
If you’re going to be hitting the beach this summer, showing a little skin, or are just feeling kinda BLEH and need a little somethin’ somethin’ to make you feel good about yourself then do this. You’ll seriously feel a million bucks! Not sure if it’s the glowing skin or if it’s a contact high from the coffee, either way, you’ll feel really good!
- 2 Tbspn. Coconut OIl
- 1/2 C. Ground Caffeinated Coffee
- Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl, and carefully add the coffee grounds without spilling them everywhere!
- Ok, now the messy part. Make sure you have a towel handy and get into the shower or bath (don't turn the water on yet) and starting at your ankles, massage the coconut coffee scrub in a circular motion onto your skin. Work your way up your legs to your bum and belly and so on, until you're covered from head to toe. Doing it from top to bottom is best for your circulation. Ok, now wash your hands and set a timer on your phone for ten mins. Catch up on your instagram and twitter feeds while you wait. (I like to have a sit down in the bath at this point). When the times is done rinse the coffee grinds off, slightly massaging as you wipe them away. There will be a little coconut oil and coffee residue on your skin so scrub that off with a loofah otherwise it'll get all over your towels. Now your skin should be SUPER soft and silky.
- This can get pretty messy with coffee grounds getting all over the place so get in the bath or shower to make sure everything is contained and can all be washed down the drain! You've been warned.
Okay so even though I’m not into drinking coffee, my first foray into natural beauty gets a thumbs up, not sure how successful future endeavours will be, but I’ll for sure keep you posted! In the meantime, give this a go and let me know what you think! I’m sure you’re going to love it too!
Be cool,
L xx